Two lions, Fluffy and Fireball, met at the zoo. Fluffy's tail is $1\dfrac{1}{3}$ of a meter long. Fireball's tail is $1\dfrac{1}{4}$ of a meter long. How much longer is Fluffy's tail than Fireball's tail?
To find the difference in the tail lengths, we need to subtract. $1\frac13$ $1\frac{1}{4}$ $?$ Fluffy's tail Fireball's tail Difference $1\dfrac{1}{3}} - {1\dfrac{1}{4}}$ Our denominators need to be the same so we can subtract What is the least common multiple for the denominators $3}$ and ${4}$ ? The least common multiple of $D3$ and ${4}$ is ${12}$. $\dfrac{1}\times4}{3}\times4} = \dfrac{4}{12}}$ $\dfrac{{1}\times3}{{4}\times3} = {\dfrac{3}{12}}$ Let's subtract our fractions. $\begin{aligned} &1} &\dfrac4{12}}\\\\ -&{1}&{\dfrac{3}{12}}\\ \hline\\ &&{\dfrac14} \end{aligned}$ Next, let's subtract our whole numbers. $\begin{aligned} &1} &\dfrac4{12}}\\\\ -&{1}&{\dfrac{3}{12}}\\ \hline\\ &0&{\dfrac1{12}} \end{aligned}$ Fluffy's tail is $\dfrac{1}{12}$ of a meter longer than Fireball's tail.